


You and I in Unison

by karmacarmilla



Series: You and I in Unison [1]
Category: Carmilla (Web Series), Carmilla - All Media Types
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-10
Updated: 2015-12-10
Packaged: 2018-05-06 01:20:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5397542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/karmacarmilla/pseuds/karmacarmilla
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carmilla finds unlikely support in a less than desirable situation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You and I in Unison

**Author's Note:**

> No one should ever have to walk through the fire alone. No one should ever have to brave that storm.  
> Everybody needs someone or something.  
> -  
> Warnings:  
> Mental Health issues addressed.  
> Self harm (implied?/not graphic)

She felt herself losing sight of reality as she lay with her back against the door. She had her headphones in to block out the sound of her mother threatening to break down the door. She knew she couldn't do it even if she tried. Her mother was weak and so was she - though she didn't like to admit it. Not even to herself.  
One. Two. Three.  
She was seeing red and it didn't even phase her. This was a common thing just this time she was caught. It was mortifying and terrifying all at the same time. She wanted to run but she couldn't. There was no where to go.  
The music grew louder with her even realizing that she was the one who had turned it up.  
Four. Five. Six.  
Her brother began to bang on the door, begging to come in. His voice was soft and sweet but she couldn't focus on him now.  
Seven. Eight. Nine.  
Things started to blur together and her head started to hurt. She wanted to talk to someone but she didn't know who. No one wanted to listen until they knew - then it was like no one would shut up.  
_Let us help you Carmilla_. 

Ten. Eleven. Twelve.

_I'm here for you Carmilla._

Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen.

 _Why didn't you tell us Carmilla_?

That one actually made her laugh. Why would anyone tell people who didn't care about them something so personal. She didn't know if they were lucky or unfortunate to have found out.

One mistake. One slip up. It only took one little mishap to turn her entire world upside down. She should have worn a jacket. She shouldn't have been standing on the chair. She shouldn't have even been there.

But she was. She was there and she slipped off of the chair, requiring unwanted medical attention. Medical attention that brought her 3 year old secret to be revealed. Medical attention that led to what felt like the end of her life.

She didn't even have the energy to do this anymore. She just wanted to be somewhere that no one knew about this. She wanted to be somewhere that she didn't feel like she had to do this to find release. She wanted to be somewhere better.

Too bad it wasn't that easy. She couldn't just erase her history or this moment. She gathered her things together in the secret box she had kept them in for years now and tucked it into her jacket pocket. Beginning to wrap the paper around her arm she didn't even flinch. It didn't hurt anymore.

She had planned what she would do in this situation but had never expected it to actually come true. It was the only plan she had and now she had to initiate it. She tightened her shoes on her feet and put her hood over her head before opening the door and plowing through her family that tried to follow her. Once she got down the stairs, none of their words mattered to her. Not even her brother's words. She hurriedly slammed the door and sprinted as fast as she could down the street, keeping one hand in her pocket to hold tightly to the box.

The chill of the wind burned against her face as she ran. She hadn't planned for this to happen in the dead of winter. There was no snow on the ground but it was freezing outside. None of that mattered though. All that mattered was the fact that she needed someone to keep shelter or else she would freeze to death.

-

Entering the 24 hour restaurant, she hurried to the bathroom and checked the paper under her sleeves. It was soaked in blood and she decided to throw it out. She would wrap it at another time. As she rinsed the wounds, the water began to turn red. She tried her best to scrub it before being stopped in her tracks by a woman entering the bathroom. She was in a uniform and stepped back slightly.

"Oh my god...are you okay?"

-

Carmilla was pissed. She knew she should have just went to the spot she had planned to go to. She shouldn't have stopped at the stupid restaurant. She shouldn't have exposed her wounds in such a public place. She shouldn't have had wounds in the first place..

Now she was in a room with white walls and gray carpet and she was furious. She didn't want to be here. Why did that woman have to barge in? Why did she feel the need to do something? Why didn't she just ignore her like practically everyone else did? The room was unfamiliar and so were the people. It smelled exactly how every other hospital smelled and her mind began to wonder if they had a lingering hospital air freshener. She wondered if they got it from the service station.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a man coming over to her. "Will you please tell me your name? We can't help you without a name."

_Let me go then._

Carmilla stayed silent and the man shook his head and left the room. She could hear him whispering to a woman in the hallway.

_She won't tell me._

_Give her time. They don't all open up right away._

_How the hell are we supposed to give her proper treatment without a name?_

_Do you have an age?_

_She won't talk._

_Have you measured her?_

_She won't move and I don't want to push it._

_Then don't._

Carmilla couldn't help but think the woman he spoke with was very smart. She was right. He shouldn't push it because right now she was on edge and she wasn't afraid to lash out.

Her eyes wandered around the room. She was sitting in a chair in the middle of the room which seemed a lot smaller when there was someone else in it. They had some crossword puzzles on a table and a radio in another one of the corners. There was a couch with a bunch of unidentifiable stains on it and she decided to not even go near it. Before she could continue to scope out her surroundings a bunch of girls in marching hospital gowns came in. Not a single one of them seemed sane which made Carmilla feel a little bit better. If she could identify the crazies then she couldn't be considered one of them right?

They all took chairs and made a circle that _unfortunately_ included her. There was only one person who wasn't in a hospital gown and was instead in the same uniform as the man who had tried to know her name earlier.

"Everyone, we have someone joining us today. I figured maybe we could introduce ourselves and help her introduce herself to us."

Carmilla rolled her eyes at the way the woman talked. She spoke like they were children but the rest of the girls responded appropriately.

"I'm LaF," One of the girls started, "LaFontaine. They put me in this women's facility because of my genitalia but I identify as genderqueer. Apparently they don't have facilities for people like me which is fucked but I guess it's better than being in a men's facility. Either way, don't call me she or her or I'll make sure you're sorry."

She almost laughed at the threat but made a note to not call her 'One of the girls' again, even if it was mentally.

"I'm Danny."

She was huge. Like really huge. Carmilla had never seen someone so tall in her entire life. She noticed as the girl's knees almost touched her chest as she sat in the chair. Could she call her 'the girl' or was she genderqueer too?

"I'm one of the tallest girls here as you can tell."

_That answers that question._

"I'm here for an eating disorder which like..how unfair is that? I can't exercise and try to eat right without my family admitting me to a hospital? I'm only still here because I keep getting into fights with the one lady who keeps trying to tell me I have something I don't even have. What's her name?...Barb? Susan? Something annoying. I don't know."

Carmilla decided she liked her instantly. Their attitudes matched. They both didn't want to be here.

The continued going around the circle. There was a girl named Lola there for OCD and a girl Betty for an eating disorder too. She didn't pay much attention to any of their stories or names until the last girl began to talk. Carmilla had to focus because she girl spoke so quietly.

"My name is Laura. I um...I'm bipolar and had a little...episode? My dad made me come here because he didn't want me to kill myself like my m-...anyway. I don't know but I'm working on it," She gave a small smile and sat on her hands as her legs shook.

For whatever reason Carmilla couldn't look away from her. There was something about her that she felt bad for which was completely a hypocritical thing to do as she always complained of people feeling bad for her and how annoying it was. But she couldn't help it. She just seemed so innocent. Someone like her didn't deserve to be here with all of these destructive people. Someone needed to protect her.

_There she goes again._

"My name is Carmilla," she says more to the blonde whose shaking seems to calm down. "I don't know what I am. I haven't ever talked about this before or been to a doctor. I'm here because a woman in a restaurant called the police on me. She thought I was committing suicide." When she notices the girl tense up she leans forward a bit, "I wasn't."

Laura smiled slightly at her. "Good," she whispers quietly enough that no one hears her.

Carmilla understands clearly.

The male doctor from earlier hurried in and grabbed her arm, "Come with me."

-

She wanted to fight when the doctor grabbed her earlier but she refused to make a scene in front of everyone. _In front of Laura_. She didn't want to upset her.

He was almost finished checking her vitals and ran a couple last tests before sighing and wrapping her arm up properly. "I'm sorry I had to take you out of there so fast. We just had to get all of the information while you were letting it out."

Carmilla didn't say anything. She hated this man. Detested him. She only let him do his job so she could hurry back to the group and maybe even talk more to Laura. Something about her made her feel like this place wasn't so bad.

"I'll take you to your room once you're dressed," He handed her a gown and hospital socks.

She sneered as he refused to leave the room while she changed. She knew he had no choice but just for the simple fact that it was him upset her.

As soon as she slipped the last sock on he was heading out to show her the room she would be staying in. Her face couldn't help but light up as she say Laura lying on the opposite bed.

"Here's your blanket and a pillow."

As he handed her the material she couldn't help but notice how sheer the blanket was and how thin the pillow. She wanted to throw it back in his face but she knew she had to take what she could get in this hell hole. Besides, she could feel her body warming up just by the fact that she was in the same room as Laura.

Laura was clutching her stomach and facing the wall which scared her a bit. The doctor seemed to notice as well because he moved over to her bed.

"Hollis? You alright over there?"

"Yeah just period issues."

His facial expression changed briefly before he nodded and began to leave the room. "Breakfast is at 8, if you're not in the hallway by 7:50 there will be consequences."

Carmilla rolled her eyes promptly. She wasn't afraid of a threat. She was, however, afraid that something was seriously wrong.

"Hey uh...you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine."

She raised her eyebrow and sat on her own bed, "Well you're grabbing your ribs not where your uterus is. Are you sure?"

Laura sighed and shook her head. "You got me but don't worry I'm okay. This happens a lot."

"Well what is happening?"

"My stomach starts to hurt because they make me eat too much."

"What do you mean?"

"They serve us all the same and since there are more people here with eating disorders the food is so highly packed and sometimes I can't really take it."

"Ew," Carmilla reacted, "What kind of food is highly packed?"

"Like oats with fruit and stuff."

"What's wrong with oats and fruit? Or is it like hospital food?"

"Well that's it too but it's just that I am more of a...more of a cookies and cupcakes kind of girl."

"Ah, so you're not used to healthy foods."

She shrugged and rolled over to face Carmilla, "Not exactly."

"That's okay. They're overrated anyway." She paused, giving Laura a smile. "I'll tell you what though. If you show me the ropes around here then I'll show you a few tricks I have for eating things you don't like."

"Deal."

 

**Author's Note:**

> I told you guys that I wanted to do something heavier in the notes of my other story. What do you think?


End file.
